Medeiros is interested in negotiating new contract with region

SOMERSET — School Superintendent Richard Medeiros said it is not true that he has refused to negotiate a new contract with the Somerset Berkley Regional School District..

Mr. Medeiros's contract runs out with the regional school district, which oversees the high school, on June 30, 2013, but his contract that he signed with the Somerset School Committee, which oversees kindergarten through grade eight, does not expire until a year later, which has caused some criticism of the Regional School Committee vote not to extend the superintendent's contract because some town officials feel that the town would have to pay for 1.75 superintendents if the region hires another superintendent for a year while Mr. Medeiros is working for the Somerset school district.

"I am interested in negotiating a long term contract and I believe negotiations should take place with both committees," Mr. Medeiros said.

Mr. Peirce said he sent a communication in writing to Mr. Medeiros at the end of last week about starting negotiations. He said nobody from the Somerset School Committee has contacted him about negotiating jointly with Mr. Medeiros. If the Somerset School Committee did that, Mr. Peirce said he would also have to get permission from the Regional School Committee to conduct joint negotiations. He said the Regional School Committee discussion right along has been to extend Mr. Medeiros's contract for a year to bring it in line with the Somerset School Committee contract. Mr. Peirce said he hopes to sit down with Mr. Medeiros to negotiate as soon as possible, so that the issue can get resolved.

Mr. Medeiros also said that statements Mr. Peirce made in his letter to editor about it not being clear whether the Somerset school district may have to pay the superintendent's full salary for the following year after the regional agreement expires are inaccurate. He said multiple legal counsels have given the opinion that the Somerset school district would be responsible for his full salary if the region does not renew the contract.

Mr. Peirce said Mr. Medeiros's contract with the Somerset School Committee is between him and the pre-kindergarten through grade eight school district. He said the regional school district at this time is responsible for a portion of the superintendent's salary.

Mr. Medeiros said had the Regional School Committee voted affirmatively to renew his contract, the school districts would not be in this situation. Under his agreement with the Regional School District, that committee had to decide by Dec. 31 of this year on whether to renew the superintendent's contract.

Instead of separate contracts with the region and Somerset school district, as he has now, Mr. Medeiros said he would want a joint contract between the two school districts that goes beyond the current Somerset school district contract..

"I would be open to discussing what that time frame would be," Mr. Medeiros said of the length of a new contract.

At the present time, based on enrollment, the Somerset school district pays for 65 percent of Mr. Medeiros's contract while the region pays for 35 percent of his contract. Of that 35 percent, Somerset pays 75 percent and Berkley pays the rest, based on the student enrollment at the high school. Somerset School Committee member Victor Machado has said if the kindergarten through grade eight school district has to pay for Mr. Medeiros's whole salary, it will be an increase of $47,000 for the school district. With a performance stipend from the regional school district that he gets if he meets agreed upon goals and a commitment stipend from the Somerset school district, Mr. Medeiros's total salary is $135,371.

The Regional School Committee has authorized Mr. Peirce to try to negotiate a one-year contract with Mr. Medeiros that would bring the contracts of the two school district with him in line for when they will expire.

Somerset School Committee Chairman Jamison Souza said his personal feelings are that he would like a joint contract with the superintendent. He said the two school districts already have joint agreements with teachers, other collective bargaining units and administrators. Mr. Souza said the last piece of the puzzle is the superintendent. But he said he will have to take his marching orders from the pre-kindergarten through grade eight School Committee and go from there.

"I'm very optimistic that we're going to continue with one superintendent and we're going to continue with the model we built for a joint staff because it is not only fiscally sound, but it is educationally sound," Mr. Souza said.

Mr. Souza noted that the Somerset School Committee has taken a vote to ask the Regional School Committee to extend Mr. Medeiros's contract for a year as a joint hire. He said the committee supports the structure and the individual moving forward. After the contracts are lined up, Mr. Souza said the two school committees and Mr. Medeiros should sit down together to talk about the future.

Mr. Souza said there is no mention of a split pay in Mr. Medeiros's contract with the pre-kindergarten through grade eight school committee. He said it looks like the kindergarten through grade eight school district would be on the hook for Mr. Medeiros's whole salary if the region does not extend his contract. If Mr. Medeiros's contract is not renewed, Mr.Souza said the duties of other workers may be split and he has told people that would not be done, that a single central office for the two school districts would be maintained. He said he thinks that will happen.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.